Freddy woke early on Tuesday wondering what his mother had in store for him today. âFull of grace.â What did that mean? Grace was a girlâs name as far as he was concerned.
His mother made him wear the same short pink dress with petticoats that the witches had put him in on Halloween night. She ordered him to put on white tights and pull the matching frilly knickers on over them. His sisters stood relishing the sight of their brother struggling into tights and obediently pulling on frilly knickers.
âSo ⌠off to Madame Patriceâsâ his mother declared as Freddy tried to push his short flared dress down as much as possible and Chloe helpfully tied several pink ribbons in his ringlets. Who was Madame Patrice? He suspected that the girls knew from their amused looks.
Once again he sat in the back of the car with his petticoats extending over his sistersâ trouser legs. They pulled up outside a building marked âMadame Patriceâs School of Deportmentâ. Freddy looked puzzled. His sisters tittered.
It was still early and Mdme Patrice was the only one there. âAh! Chloe, Maggie! We havenât seen you here in a long time.â The two sisters looked a little uneasy. âItâs their brother who needs some lessons this timeâ, his mother pointed out. Mdme Patrice looked down her nose at the mass of pink frills in front of her. âBrother?!â âYes, he used to think that girls were stupid so we are letting him see from the inside as it were.â
Mdme Patrice seemed quite happy with this. âExcellent! But I am fully booked today. Because it is school mid-term I have many groups all day.â Freddy allowed himself a little grin as his mother looked disappointed.
âWell perhaps he could join some of your groups?â she suggested, wiping the grin off his face. âYes that is possibleâ, Mdme Patrice agreed. âSo, can we leave him with you then? Pick him up at 6pm?â Freddyâs face dropped. âBien sur! He can join all of the classes today so!â
âNow girlsâ, his mother turned away since everything was settled, âwould you like to go to the adventure park?â âOh yesâ, they chorused.
Freddy sighed heavily. The adventure park was the best thing for miles around. He loved climbing the ropes and swings. But he had to accept that he would not enjoy it much in his short frilly dress.
The others left him clutching his petticoats nervously. Just then a gaggle of girls came in. Not one of them was over 8 he noted disconsolately. Yet he was the one dressed in the most juvenile fashion in his pink dress, flared from breast level, and his ringlets tied up with pink bows.
He spent an hour and half flouncing around with the real girls, practicing feminine deportment, curtseys, sitting while controlling his petticoats, sitting with his knees pressed demurely together. Every time he curtsied the girls around him giggled. He supposed that he must have been unavoidably flashing his frilly knickers when he held his petticoats out.
As he waited for the next lesson he wondered how it could get any worse. He had his answer almost immediately as a couple of boys arrived in the next group. It was quite clear that they regarded the whole thing as a laugh but having this older âgirlâ in so short a dress that she regularly flashed her frilly knickers was a real bonus for them.
The first group after lunch included some girls his own age. Initially a little relieved, he soon realised that they just thought it was hilarious to see a teenage girl in ringlets and a frilly pink dress â and when they inevitably glimpsed his knickers they were beside themselves with laughter.
When his mother picked him up at six he had been flouncing around and curtseying almost continuously for eight hours. Mdme Patrice made him demonstrate for his mother and sisters. They were delighted to see him mincing around with his hands held out daintily, holding out his petticoats as he curtsied and carefully gathering his underskirts as he sat.
Even better, they watched as he continued to mince down the street outside and exploded in laughter. Freddy tried to look less like a sissy but found it hard to remember how to walk like a boy and his three-inch heels didnât help.
âWednesdayâs girl is merry and gladâ, his mother recited. The sisters look at their glum brother sitting amongst his petticoats. âThat will be an achievement!â